If you spend a lot of time using File Explorer in Windows, it’s easy to become weary of its idiosyncrasies. Why can’t you integrate non-Microsoft cloud storage providers? Why can’t you edit and delete the folder shortcuts in This PC? And why hasn’t Microsoft introduced tabbed browsing?

Perhaps it’s time to dump File Explorer and use a third-party alternative? If you’ve never looked into what’s available, you might be surprised. Here are the seven best Windows File Explorer replacements.

1. XYplorer

XYplorer is one of the best Windows Explorer alternatives. But what makes it so good?

Secondly, it’s got an impressive feature set that will appeal to both casual users and hardcore geeks.

For example, the explorer has tabbed browsing. The tabs function like a web browser’s tabs; you can reorder them, drag files between them, and pre-configure them. The app also boasts support for custom scripts, customizable fonts and colors, and secondary sorting.

XYplorer has both a free and paid version. The paid costs $39.95 for a lifetime license.

2. Directory Opus

It arguably has a steeper learning curve than XYplorer. While the previous app takes many of its design queues from Windows File Explorer, Directory Opus introduces more of its own style decisions.

If you’re prepared to spend the time learning where to find everything, you will be handsomely rewarded. Features include support for synchronizing files and finding duplicates, scripting capabilities, graphics that allow you to flag and check mark files, and a customizable status bar.

The lite version costs about $40 while the full version is $70. A 60-day free trial is available.

3. fman

fman is the least Windows-like app on the list so far. It’s self-described as “GoTo on steroids.”

Perhaps the best thing about fman is its cross-platform support; it works on Mac and Linux as well as Windows. If you spend a lot of time jumping between the three operating systems, it’ll provide a sense of continuity in your work.

Nonetheless, if you’re a beginner, this probably isn’t the app for you. fman is mainly aimed at software developers and other tech-savvy pros.

Feature-wise, it always displays the contents of two directories to make moving and copying files a breeze. It also has an extensive list of plugins for additional functionality and it has full keyboard shortcut support.

4. Free Commander

Free Commander is the first entirely-free software on this list. If you’re not a power user and you don’t want to pay for a Windows File Explorer replacement, this is probably the app for you.

The app doesn’t try to confuse users with lots of features most people will probably never use. Rather, it aims to offer an alternative solution that remedies some of the glaring omissions within the native Windows app.

So, if you’re a first-time user, what can you expect? Free Commander offers a tabbed interface, dual panels for easy drag-and-drop, built-in support for archive handling (ZIP files), folder synchronization, definable shortcuts, and even a DOS command line.

5. Explorer++

The second entirely-free app on the list, Explorer++ makes the cut because it’s open source. That means the community can keep working on it for as long as they wish—there’s no danger you’ll be tied to an unsupported app at some point in the future.

Interestingly, it’s also one of the most basic apps on the list. It looks the most similar to Windows File Explorer and offers the fewest enhancements.

Despite that, the enhancements will lift most users to a new level of productivity. You will enjoy tabbed browsing, the ability to merge and split files, and a display window for file previews.

6. Altap Salamander

Most of the apps I have shown you so far have focused on one computer. Altap Salamander is the first Windows File Explorer replacement that makes a big push to offer extensive networking tools.

Network protocols such as FTP, FTPS, SCP, and SFTP are all supported. It makes transferring files over the internet exceptionally straightforward.

The app also offers support for more archive file types than its rivals. It can work with ZIP, RAR, 7-Zip, ISO images, and UDF images.

Altap Salamander offers one other unique tool: a built-in password manager. It means you can protect any sensitive or personal files using secure encryption techniques, thus stopping them from falling into the wrong hands.

Costing around $27 (depending on the current euro exchange rate), it’s also one of the most reasonably-priced paid apps.

7. TagSpaces

TagSpaces is an open source file organizer. It’s seemingly targeted at light users and people who want to keep everything organized on their machine without using a full-featured file manager.

It works by adding user-defined tags to all your files. For example, you could tag things as “Photos,” “Recipes,” “College,” and so on. You can color-coordinate your tags, then organize them thematically into groups for easy recall.

Best of all, because it works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, you can stay coordinated regardless of which device you’re working on. The app even boasts Chromecast support.

The Best File Manager for Windows 10

Each app will appeal to a different type of user. People looking for a small amount of added functionality should consider Explorer++ or Free Commander. If you’re a power user, check out XYplorer or Directory Opus. Developers need fman, networkers need Altap Salamander, and if you want something completely different, download TagSpaces.

This article is seriously misleading as it actually lists the 7 runners up to the best Windows Explorer replacement. The winner is without doubt Q-Dir (q-dir.com/). A single tree pane and four folder panes, each capable of multiple tabs for different folders. Or you can set it up with fewer folder panes if you prefer. Or more tree panes. And you can save multiple favorite configurations. Oh yes, it can be installed or portable .

XYPlorer is great! I got a license to it nearly 6 years ago, and use it daily instead of the built in file explorer. Really useful features built-in and the multi-tab/multi-window aspect makes it easy to move/copy stuff around.

I've been using Total Commander (TC) since it was Windows Commander, about 20 years ago. I've played with XYExplorer, Explorer++, and FreeCommander, but I always keep coming back to TC because of the plugins, speed, and ease of use.

If you're averse to paying for a file manager (TC is about $40), there's the freeware workalike Double Commander, available on SourceForge for Windows, MacOS, FreeBSD, and Linux.

I think Directory Opus may be more powerful, but the learning curve is pretty off putting, and I have yet to find anything I could not do in TC or Double Commander.

XYplorer is pretty nice, the UI is easier to navigate, but they don't have full dark mode and they can't display PDFs using modern PDF viewers because they don't recognize 64bit previewers (really, in 2018?!).

Directory Opus does everything I want, and is pretty fast. The only complaint is with the UI, There are so many options and they put the least used up front, things like tab groups are hidden in the menu tree and I use tab groups all day long. Still the best choice though. A lot to learn to use Directory Opus fully.

Most of them would be free, isn't it? Free word comes with hectic errors to solve, no customer support and much more, I learned this the hard way. Now I am using GS Richcopy 360, industry level software. Pretty much reliable and all in one package. Dont hesitate to spend some bucks on such software. Good luck!

I use an ad blocker, I receive the begging message to white-list, I ignore it, and . . . multiple pages of ads in the right-hand column!

What you are asking for is permission to use intrusive, pop-up, pop-under, auto-play with sound set on "11," and other annoying CRAP. I don't mind unintrusive, static ads alongside the content, which get displayed despite my ad blocker. But I agree with the poster that I'd rather give up makeuseof entirely than browse through the typical ad blitz.

Explorer++ is a good basic replacement but on Win 8.1/64-bit it crashes, esp. when you right-click on an entry. I have adjusted the properties to Win 8 compatible and to run as an administrator, and at 1st that seemed to work, it is slowly going back to crashing regularly. The app is no longer supported.

I have been using PowerDesk from Avanquest for years upon years. I loved it.. that is until they started renting the program. You could not buy it outright. For later versions they hit you up for a yearly rental fee. So I quit them at that point. BUT, now I'm building a new system and need my old powerdesk. Old License Key will not work on the rebuid. Seems that key was already used once in the past. What a shame, I own the product and can't put it on my new machine.

Most of them would be free, isn't it? Free word comes with hectic errors to solve, no customer support and much more, I learned this the hard way. Now I am using GS Richcopy 360, industry level software. Pretty much reliable and all in one package. Dont hesitate to spend some bucks on such software. Good luck!

Alternative File Managers I've gone back to using WinFile for making copying files between volumes, user's full profile for full backups,etc. as Explorer isn't too useful for an administrator. Yes, WinFile. As kludgy as it is, it doesn't puke during a file copy where Explorer will say "Can't copy file, invalid file name or file path too long". WinFile stops and waits for user input, then continues it's Merry way. MUCH better than explorer for large file copies that go awry somewhere in the midst of the copy. so.... What other decent file managers are out there that are actually worth using? I could care less about looking at JPEGs or BMPs, just something that offers a more robust GUI-based file management tool that works as reliable and as fast as WinFile w/o the Explorer headaches. I have a Vista laptop (yes, I admitted that out loud) that has dual-boot to SuSE. (Once I can figure out how to get the 1505n card to work under SuSE, I'll be using this OS much more. Until then....). Given the Vista installation, alternative file managers are a must as explorer hangs and file copying procedures take far too long with the Explorer interface. Heck, just copying 3MB of files from a USB dongle took over 4 min's on Vista! No joke! I thought something was wrong with the USB key...popped it into an XP box and the file copy procedure was darn near instantaenous using Explorer to copy the data.

On my primary machine, I use Total Commander. I've been using it for 20+ years now, since the days when it was called Windows Commander. Dual panes, multiple tags, and an entire ecosystem of plugins. As a basic, dual pane file manager, it works out of the box, and supports tree views, UNCs, image thumbnails, compressed files, and numerous other features. If you start including plugins, you can burn CDs, compare directories, do backups, syncronize directories, and much more.

For secondary machines, the freeware workalike Double Commander is very similar to Total Commander, and can use many but not all of the plugins. Being freeware, it can be installed on every machine you want without licencing issues.

I use multi-commander which is free and comes in both an installable version and a portable version. It is specifically for windows but it has a lot of features and is easy to use. I believe that it exceeds most of the file managers mentioned in the article with the exception of fman which has the advantage of running across three operating systems but has a steep learning curve due to it being totally keyboard driven.

Yes, but since version 10 Directory Opus has gotten ridiculously and unnsupportably expensive. I don't remember when I first started using it, but then and up until the upgrade to v 9 it was pretty reasonable. But then they jacked up their upgrade, yes upgrade, price to $70! For a basic utility this is massively out of line so I've stuck with v. 9 for a long time. Now I'm looking for an upgrade and it definitely won't be DOpus.

While I agree it's relatively expensive, it's totally worth it to me. They don't have frivolous yearly major updates (Directory Opus 2018!), they have regular meaningful updates with very detailed changelogs, and there's always the $49 "Light" Directory Opus. I feel they earn the money I use for major upgrades every average three or so years.

IMHO, Multi Commander, is one of the best orthodox (dual pane) file manager (hints: Norton Commander lover). Lots of customization and still actively developed. Another one is oMega Commander, which has MS office ribbon style, which make it looks quite modern.

Total Commander (before Windows Commander and the DOS original before) - nothing else for ages now.
You can use it for free and if you are used to the old DOS file managers it's a no brainer, especially if you are the keyboard using kind of guy.
I recommend buying a license even if development is slow currently - there is not much to be optimized though anyway.
Close 2nd place is QDir

Anyone serious about file managers has to check out xplorer2 (www.zabkat.com). It has a free version for personal use plus 2 paid versions. I have been a user of the paid version for at least 10 years. I've tried the others, free and paid, and nothing comes close. The feature set is huge and it has a very active user community with a forum. I work in software development so file managers are my life line.

Ditto. Been using xplorer2 since 2007 that I know for sure. My favorite feature is being able to display two separate folders side by side and drag and drop between them. And being able to create bookmarks to often-used directories so that I don't have to navigate to them. There are far more sophisticated features, but these are the two that make me glad I purchased a lifetime license.

I've been using the free version of xplorer² for years now and it's my default file manager. Q-Dir is also a very interesting option: you can have up to 4 different file locations opened at the same time, it's highly customizable, portable and completely free.

Second that. I've used TC for more than 18 years and rely on its speed, flexibility, and rock solid performance. It is the one that I've seen most support persons use, as it has the complete feature set and reliability you need.

My problem is that all these are cluttered, confusingly organized, and overloaded with features without taking into consideration what features are more important to put before the user, and which ought to be hid. And they are all ugly. I'm still looking for/waiting for something that is like the Mac's Finder--seriously, nothing with a column view? And attractive iconography? and a simple interface that works?

Dan is a British expat living in Mexico. He is currently a Senior Writer for MakeUseOf. At various times, he has been the Social Editor, Creative Editor, and Finance Editor. He is also an Editor for MUO's sister site, Blocks Decoded. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.